Music of the West
By Hugh McLennan
December-January 2006
Christmas in the Canyon
Eli Barsi
 For about a month leading up to Christmas we’re exposed to lots of Christmas music on the air, in the malls and from other sources. The only thing I find sad about it is so much of this great music is only heard for a small part of the year. The western music genre has a wealth of unbelievably beautiful Christmas music that really deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
Eli Barsi adds to the mix with a festive collection that goes far beyond a few re-worked standard carols and well-known seasonal songs. Eli has written four of the songs for this one and Gary Fjellgaard’s beautiful Heart of a Christmas Night adds to the appeal. Gary teamed up with his performing partner Valdy and Lisa Brokop to write a swing tempo song called Secret Santa that Eli really puts across. Listen to this one and imagine the possibilities for a music video.
Mary Did You Know? is earning its place as a contemporary Christmas classic, written by Mark Lowry of the Gaither Vocal Band and Buddy Green. Eli’s version is hauntingly beautiful.
After listening to The Twelve Days of Christmas about a zillion times, it wears a little thin, but Eli has freshened it up by adapting the lyrics to a cowboy wish list here.
Two traditional Christmas spirituals, Go Tell It on the Mountain and Children Go Where I Send Thee are given an uptempo bluegrass flavour and it’s nearly impossible not to sing along. This one will fill your home or pickup with a real Christmas flavour and will add to your Christmas Spirit for years to come. Recorded at Eli and John’s Rockin’ BAR C Studios in Branson, Missouri, you can order it by phone at 1-888-941-4149, from Eli’s website www.elibarsi.com and from www.canadiancowboy.ca/shopping.
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